Developmental Events Flashcards
What is there under-attribution too?
Changes that are likely the result of development, but that are interpreted as resulting from experience
e.g., RG, stranger fear
What is there over-attribution to?
The assumption that there are dog counterparts to constructs in human development such as adolescence.
Does a fearful animal always require a dramatic explanation
No! It’s easily installed! It COULD be from a bad experience.
What assumption do people sometimes make about RG
They came from a background of scarcity!
It’s a genetic program the switch is flipped at a certain age.
What is a critical period?
Time envelope during development where certain, key experiences are required. The brain is ripe when it’s finished - game over!
What is the current best hypothesis about the critical period?
Experiences are triggering/coordinating gene expression, which in turn influence brain architecture in ways that cannot be done at other times.
What is a critical period in dog training?
Socialisation
What is one of the most studied critical periods?
Development of song in sparrows
Scenario - take San Fransico Genes (sparrows) and rear in Hong Kong (hearing Hong Kong song) age 10-50 days.
What happens if the adult lives in London as an adult? What does he sing?
Sings Hong Kong Sparrow song
What does the Sparrow Development Experiments show?
The song isn’t dictated by your genes
The adult environment isn’t dictated by your genes
Song is determined by the song you hear between ages 10-50 days = critical period!
What happens if the sparrow lives in London long enough?
He gets a little London Vibe but still sings Hong Kong song!
If there is an event in the critical period is it fixed or plastic?
There is a little plasticity, it isn’t completely carved in stone.
What is a sensitive period?
A period where a little goes a long way (bang for buck effect)
Both a little good and a little bad go a long way!
Why are sensitive periods important to us?
There is a lot at stake if we miss the boat or there is a bad experience. Puppyhood is precious we need to get certain things accomplished and that he doesn’t have bad experiences.
What is the ethology meaning of imprinting?
Hard-wired cataloguing of features that represent a parent of mate
What period does imprinting fall in?
Critical period!
What types of imprinting are there?
Parental and sexual
What does imprinting not mean?
Bonding, social connection
When is the socialisation period in dogs?
3 weeks (21 days) - 12/18 weeks
How do we know when the socialisation period is?
Experiments based on extreme omission resulting in profound fear
Why can’t we determine when the socialisation period ends?
We cannot replicate the experiments in today’s world because it is unethical
What is the socialisation period?
A very sensitive, possibly critical period. we don’t have the exact answers
What are neonatal puppies?
v young pups - 21 days.
Are puppies completely deaf when they are neonatal?
No! They are closed/muffled. We also can’t read any reaction as pups don’t have the ability to show us much at this v young age.
What do we know about the socialisation period?
Its either a sensitive or critical period
The earlier the better!
What was not conclusive about the extreme omission in the socialisation period
Whether the extreme fear could be reversed with subsequent efforts